


Pretty

by spnstuck



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Angst, F/M, but there was hardly any fanfics or fanart, i also don't write romance so sorry if this is hella awkward, i did what i had to, i didn't intend to ship them, then cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-18
Updated: 2014-10-18
Packaged: 2018-02-20 10:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2426117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spnstuck/pseuds/spnstuck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Touka doesn't believe she's worthy of 'pretty', and Kaneki assures here that she is so much more.  Takes place shortly after the church scene.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pretty

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to avoid using honorifics because I'm not really comfortable with how they are applied!
> 
> This is also kinda cheesy, as it's only the second "romantic" scene I have ever written, so I apologize for that. I hope you like it anyway though.

Kaneki rapped on Touka's door once, twice, three times without receiving a response.  "T-Touka?"  He asked softly.  Silence.  "Um, I think Mr.  Yoshimura wanted you...downstairs...are you okay?"

He began turning the doorknob, paused, then, hearing no protest, walked inside.  "Go away," Touka's voice muttered.  Kaneki could only just barely see the top of her head above the arm of the couch; her back was too him and she was lying down.

"What are you doing?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?  Go away."

"Mr. Yoshimura-"

"I'll do it later."

"Touka..."  Kaneki walked forward until he could peer down at her face.  "Are you okay?"

She glanced up at him just long enough so that he saw the tears brimming in her eyes before she turned and mushed her face into the couch.

"Touka!"

"For the last time, I said  _go away, Kaneki."_

He bit his lip indecisively, then shook his head.  He walked around the side of the couch and squatted down on the floor until they were level.  "Ever since the fight with Tsukiyama, you've been locked up in your room.  None of us have seen you, or talked to you, or anything.  We're worried about you- _I'm_ worried about you," he said.

"It's nothing."

"I don't think so."

"Keep your thoughts to yourself."  Her voice came out muffled.

"Is it...is it about Kimi?"

"Why on earth would you think that?"

He straightened.  "Well, er, when she was on altar, she said something to you, and I didn't hear her, exactly, but you sort of...froze.  For a second I thought she'd hurt you, but that wouldn't have made sense."

Touka rolled over so that she was eye-to-eye with Kaneki.  "Is my kagune pretty?"  She whispered.

He blinked.  "I...um...uh."  Her expression softened and she nodded before turning around again.  

"I know," she said.

"No!"  He yelped.  "I didn't-I didn't mean it like that!  I was just caught off guard is all."

"It's okay," she said.

"No, Touka, I was just surprised.  I think it's...really pretty.  Like something out of fiction, all shimmery like the wings of a fairy.  It's gold and red and black and purple and it's-it's beautiful but dangerous, kind of...like you, I guess."

Touka shifted to face the ceiling, avoiding his eye.  "Dangerous isn't beautiful.  Romanticizing danger is only trying to make something that should be perceived as ugly seem safe.  It takes away the reality of it."  Her voice lowered.  "Kagune is a weapon.  It's not meant to seem beautiful.  I've killed people with it."

"That doesn't mean it can't be beautiful."

She glared at him and sat up.  " _It_   _does, actually._ Would you call a gun pretty?  Or a knife?  They're made to  _kill_ , and that's their only purpose, and there is  _nothing_ beautiful about death."

Kaneki gaped at her.  "You're not a gun, though; you're a person."

"I'm a ghoul.  I'm not a person.  I can use try to survive on people who are already dead, but does nothing to erase the people I have killed in the past or the ones I'm sure I'll kill in the future."

"You do it because you have to.  Humans have to kill animals for their meat."

She laughed bitterly, causing Kaneki to jump backwards.  "Oh, which is why you have such an easy time killing people, right?"  

"Touka!"

"Just shut  _up_ , Kaneki!  I'm so fed up with your whining and your fucking moral dilemmas and your incompetence and ignorance and your identity crisis!"  She advanced on him, driving him back to the wall.  Her eyes sparked black and red. 

"Touka!  Please!" 

She laughed again.  "Afraid Touka the murderer is going to  _eat you, Kaneki?"_

He scrambled to his feet and jumped towards the door.  "Touka, please listen to me! I-" He swallowed nervously, then pressed forward: "I think you  _are_  pretty.  You're not-not some sort of gun or tool, and I know that because you're here at Antieku with the other ghouls who don't want to kill people.  You're-you're not like Rize or Tsukizyama because you don't want to hurt people.  You do what you feel is necessary, like Mado and Amon.  They wouldn't have hesitated in killing you or anyone else, and by doing what was necessary, you saved me and Hinami and every other ghoul at Anteiku who lives in the right." 

She had frozen in the middle of his first sentence, and now stepped to meet him in the middle of the room. "Do you believe that?"  

Kaneki nodded earnestly.  "I do.  I-I think you're beautiful in your own right.  You care about others, and you taught me how to live like....this.". He looked at his feet.  "You have pretty hair and eyes and clothes and your fighting is  _really good. And-"_

But he was stopped midsentence due to the humbling effect of Touka's lips meeting his.  

He froze, eyes wide open, shocked both by the abrupt yet tender action and the sprig of warm-no,  _hot_ energy that bubbled up in his chest.  He pushed back uncertainly, tilting his head to mirror hers.  She reciprocated, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and pulling them together.  Her lips were soft and bittersweet, laced with the taste of coffee and something sweeter.  

They broke off just as his chest was getting tight.  "I'm sorry," he said immediately.  She laughed for the third time, this time  felicitous, brushing one swatch of hair out of her right eye. 

"Your first?" She asked.  Her eyes were bright and human, all traces of red and black leaked away.

Kaneki felt himself burn red.  "I-yes," he stammered. 

"That's okay," she assured.

"I'm a college student."

"That's a little sad."

Then he didn't know what to do, so he kissed her again.

 

Five minutes later they couldn't stop and had moved to the couch, which  Kaneki had tripped and fallen onto until Touka teased him.  He stopped that by pulling her down with him and biting her lip until she stopped talking.  At one point she pulled back and grinned.

"You're a really bad kisser."

"What?"

"I said you're a really bad kisser."  

Kaneki made a face.  "Then why do you keep kissing me?"

"I'm asking myself the same question."

"How-"

"Well, this is disgusting."  The door banged open.  

"Nishiki!"  Touka yelped, sitting up quickly.  Kaneki squawked and fell off the couch.

"I was...wondering why Kenny was taking so long." He said, crossing his arms.

Touka brushed her hair back into place.  "No, no, it wasn't like that at all.  You came in at the wrong time, idiot.  Didn't you learn to knock?"

"Can you not mention this to anyone?"  Kaneki said.

" _Kaneki!_ "  Touka hissed.

Nishiki rolled his eyes.  "I guess not.  It's not like I haven't been in your place."

"Would you get your weak ass out of here?"  She said.

"Sure.  You two need more practice anyway, that was embarrassing to watch.  I only opened the door like that to get your attention."

"Nishiki!"

"I'll tell Yoshimura you'll be down in a few minutes."  He turned and stopped before walking out.  "Or twenty."

A pillow hit the wall where his face had been.  "Ugh!"  Touka balled her hands into fists.  

Kaneki rubbed his head where he'd smacked it on the coffee table.  "I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"I know, me neither.  He's just being difficult."  She sighed and glanced over at Kaneki.  "We should probably go downstairs."

One side of his mouth twitched.  "In a minute."

"Or twenty."

 

 

 

 


End file.
